Replacing the swirl ports with some used vortecs for the TA. Had the heads sitting around the garage for a few years. So far got them cleaned up with new valve seals and newer, stock springs off the new set I bought several years ago and upgraded to LS 6 springs (and hot cam in the camaro).

Keeping the stock LO 5 flat tappet cam. This one gets driven ALOT. Looking for a little more power and maybe a bit more mpg. She gets around 21/22 now on my drive to work.

2.73 rear ccc Q jet

 

Current state of the garage with camaro inside



floor mats I snagged at the JY this morning.

 

I'll be very interested to see how this goes...how you like them. Keep us posted, please.

 

Getting started



Jegs manifold and bolts $212
Head gaskets from RA $20
valve seals from Alex Parts $20
Manifold gaskets from AZ $29

the intake gaskets have the metal inserts to prevent crush. My first vortec swap DID have the infamous intake gasket leak. Killed a starter.



Got right head installed. Back at it Monday hopefully.

 

Both heads back with intake. Only got a few hours to work on it today. Getting the y pipe lined back up was a tad frustrating. Want to get some new wire loom before going much further. I put this motor in several years ago but some of it's getting crumbly. The temp switch connector fell apart (I picked up several spare connectors from RA a while ago though). The clips on the TV cable also broke but I still have the one I took off the 87 when I installed the T56 last year.

87 with the new floor mats.


redid the seats last fall

 

how did it turn out? what are the specs on that motor by the way?

 

Hope to finish this weekend. Other stuff kept me out of the garage.

Motor is a .60 over two piece seal with an LO5 cam and L69 exhaust. The car is a driver and I've put over 130 k on it in 9 years (motor was swapped in 2010).

 

Finally complete.

Purchased new cap/rotor/wires and plugs. The old wires (2 years) showed some corrosion at the cap end on a few. Got a Delphi tune up kit from RA for about $40 shipped with the cap/rotor and wires. Got a few sets of vortec plugs from RA also for around $1.40 each. Used ACD R44LTS in the TA.

Upon first start it had a loud tapping on the left bank. Turned out that the exhaust gasket on number 7 had slipped and was half in. Of course I had installed all of the accessories prior to start so everything had to come off that side to pull the manifold out. Note in the below pick that I have the driver's side dipstick. Used a dremel to cut some out of the manifold and two sets of felpro exhaust gaskets to give it a little space. It's tight, but works.



The right side head does not have the rear most bolt hole for the manifolds, but no issues so far without it. I am not using gaskets on that side.



The performer intake does not allow installation of the canister purge valve in the stock location. That boss is directly beneath the rad hose. I installed the valve in the water neck with an adapter. Because the performer has the carb a little higher above the plane of the manifold, it fit fine without interfering with the aircleaner. Am using a 2 and 1/2" Fram filter.

Put around 30 or so miles on it and no check engine light with the EGR solenoid not connected. My 87 has never thrown the code, I'll wait and see with this 85.



75,310 on the odo. I bought this one in 2005 showing 50,xxx and have turned it over once so that's a minimum of 275K on the body. I rebuilt the trans in 2012 immediately before driving back and forth to DC. The 350 swap was 2009. It was a reman short block from Carolina Machine Engines that I installed a slightly used set of LO5 TBI heads on.

 

Sooooo, how's she run now compared to before?
It should be good for 25-35 hp.

 

Spent last week in Indiana, man it was cold there.

Today's the first day I got to drive it to work, in the rain, so no play time yet.

 

First oil change due now.

Installed the sonnax TV spring because my shift points dropped significantly. The new combo requires less throttle opening during normal driving and the Trans was shifting too early. With the spring and medium throttle I'm shifting around 2-2500 rpm.

The Trans is from my 84 berlinetta and has always had a softer shift than the TA trans. (I was rebuilding the 84 trans when the TA trans began dying, wound up swapping them and the TA trans went into the 84).

Highway trip yielded -27 mpg. I net around 21-22 back and forth to work, so no significant change there. Much more pleasant to drive and doesn't complain when approaching 4000 rpm.